The Last of the Bushrangers: An Account of the Capture of the Kelly GangHare, Francis Augustus
History
The Last of the Bushrangers: An Account of the Capture of the Kelly Gang
Hare, Francis Augustus
Brigands and robbers -- Australia; Kelly, Ned, 1855-1880
About midnight on Saturday the 9th of February, Ned Kelly, Joe Byrne,
Steve Hart, and Dan Kelly surrounded the police station, which was
all in darkness, the constables having retired to their beds, when
they were awoke by some one calling out--"Constable Devine, there is
a drunken man at Davidson's hotel in the township who has committed
a murder. Get up at once all of you." Constable Richards, who was up
first, came outside, followed immediately afterwards by Devine, both
being undressed and unarmed. Ned Kelly began to tell these men there
was a great row in the township, and after conversing with them for
some time, to make sure there were no other constables inside, he
suddenly presented two revolvers at Devine's head, Joe Byrne doing the
same to Constable Richards. The outlaws immediately procured the keys
of the lock-up, took the two policemen and lodged them in their own
watch-house, and locked the door. Having secured the constables, they
attended to their horses, which had been left outside the station;
they put them in the police stables, fed them well, and left them
secure for the night. Whilst this was going on Ned Kelly went into the
police station, secured all the arms belonging to the police, made the
constable's wife and family go into one room, and placed Steve Hart as
sentry over them, telling them if they gave the slightest alarm, that
the two constables who were in the lock-up would be the first persons
to be shot, and they themselves would also suffer the same death. The
outlaws then made themselves as comfortable as they could, leaving one
of their number on sentry until daylight on Sunday morning.
During all that day Mrs. Devine was allowed to go about the station
as usual, so as not to raise any suspicion that anything unusual was
going on. Ned Kelly ascertained from her, that it was her custom to
clean out the church and prepare the place for service, and Joe Byrne
was sent to this place of worship with Mrs. Devine, whilst she carried
out her usual duties there. This took about half an hour, and they both
returned to the station. No one called at the station during the day;
had they done so, they would have been pounced upon and secured in the
lock-up so as to prevent an alarm being given. The people attended
service as usual, but no one came near the station.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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